Hollie Bone

A family famous for their Christmas lights display have announced that after more than 15 years, the Harrogate home has been lit up for the last time.

Fred and Margaret Boreham estimated they have raised in the region of £10,000 for several charities by decorating their house for donations over the last decade and a half.

Fred and Margaret Boreham stand outside their festive family home

But now the couple are looking to retire from the mammoth task and quite literally, let someone else take the limelight.

Fred and Margaret’s daughter, Janet Driver said: “It’s the man hours and the time of year, when you’re out in the rain all day doing it, it’s time consuming.

Mr Boreham added: “It takes us about four weekends to set up the lights. Everyone in the family gets involved, my daughter Janet makes the tea and I sit in the chair and say that one goes there that one goes there!”

This year the lights were due to turn on at 6pm on Saturday December 12 but with crowds waiting in the wind and the rain, the lights were turned on early.

On the night, Fred said: "We get a lot of crowds but it's been a rough night tonight, we have had a few but they don't want to be out in the rain."

Over the years, the Boreham's have raised funds for Henshaws, Help for Heroes, Marie Curie, and Yorkshire Air Ambulance, but they explain it wasn't always for charity.

Margaret said: “It’s probably been longer because the donations have been going for about 15 years but the lights have been going forever.

“We had the lights up when my eldest son lived up the road and we used to have competitions between us.”

But after their sons moved house, all the lights were given to Fred and Margaret to create one big display as seen today.

After the announcement the Boreham’s have been inundated with people offering to help set up and pleas not to stop, with crowds claiming they've been coming to see the lights for years.

But as the final year, the family have said this Christmas people can buy a light from the display for a donation, in the hope someone else will carry the torch.